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'It's going to be a long summer': Part of northwest Boulder wakes up to evacuation warning for Goat Trail Fire

Fire burns approximately 1.7 acres, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and Boulder Fire Rescue
Boulder Co. Sheriff's Office update on Goat Trail Fire
Evacuation warning issued for the Goat Trail Fire near Hawthorne Avenue
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Goat Trail Fire.jpeg
Goat Trail Fire.jpeg
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BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The evacuation warning, issued in response to the Goat Trail Fire wildfire, has been lifted, according to Boulder Fire Rescue.

The Goat Trail Fire broke out around 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to Boulder County Sheriff's Office public information officer Vinnie Montez.

"Jumping out of bed and seeing fires, it's kind of a shock... I wasn't expecting that," nearby resident Steve Conney told Denver7.

While it was originally estimated to have burned 2-3 acres, it actually burned closer to 1.7 acres, Montez said. The Goat Trail Fire has been 100% contained, according to the Boulder Fire Rescue. There were no active flames as of 5:34 a.m., he added.

  • See a live report from Denver7's Lauren Lennon at the scene of the fire, in the video player below.
Evacuation warning issued for the Goat Trail Fire near Hawthorne Avenue

The evacuation warning area originally included roughly Linden Drive on the north, Broadway on the East, Sunshine Canyon on the south and west side.

Neighbor Russell Chandler told Denver7's Lauren Lennon he heard about the evacuation warning from a loved one.

"My phone rang, and it was my daughter from Broomfield calling and saying that we're under evacuation. And so I talked to my wife, and we started packing our stuff up for the cat, got everything ready to go," Chandler said.

  • Watch the full news conference from Montez in the video player below:
Boulder Co. Sheriff's Office update on Goat Trail Fire

Some Boulder County Sheriff's Office deputies did go door to door to let residents know about the evacuation warning as many were still sleeping.

"There wasn't an official evacuation order that went out, but that was what they did, just to make sure people are aware, and that's a safety thing. It's the middle of the night when this fire came out. And fire is dangerous when people are asleep and not aware," Montez said.

Chandler said he wasn't surprised by the wildfire and evacuation warning.

"It's going to be a long summer... This is April, and I think we're going to see probably the worst fire year ever in Colorado. I'm afraid," Chandler said.

No cause of the fire has been determined yet. Montez said that will be investigated.

Anyone who wants to see a map of the affected area or more details, click here. The Goat Trail is closed to give firefighters space to continue working, Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks said.

"I was thinking, I use that trail a lot... I was just hiking up there two days ago," Conney said.

  • See Conney's full conversation with Denver7 in the video player below.
Goat Trail Fire prompts evacuation orders Wednesday morning

"If an evacuation order does come out, and that would change here in the future, we want people to heed that order and start moving out of the area," Montez said.

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